adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
afterwardadverbUS /ˈæftərwərd/
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
answeredverbUS /ˈænsərd/
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
ARIEL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/
in a state of sleep
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
calledverbUS /kɔːld/
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Good-night, Ariel,” I called out to her over the paling.
carriagenounUS /ˈkærɪdʒ/
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading The footman had thoughtfully lighted the carriage lamps.
clearverbUS /klɪr/
rid of obstructions
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
closingnounUS /ˈkloʊzɪŋ/
the act of closing something
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
darknounUS /dɑːrk/
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
doornounUS /dɔːr/
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
downstairsadverbUS /ˈdaʊnˈsterz/
on a floor below
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
dulladjectiveUS /dʌl/
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
footmannounUS /ˈfʊtmən/
a man employed as a servant in a large establishment (as a palace) to run errands and do chores
From this reading The footman had thoughtfully lighted the carriage lamps.
footstepsnounUS /ˈfʊtsteps/
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
gatenounUS /ɡeɪt/
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
Good-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Good-night, Ariel,” I called out to her over the paling.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The footman had thoughtfully lighted the carriage lamps.
halfadjectiveUS /hæf/
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
hallnounUS /hɔːl/
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Good-night, Ariel,” I called out to her over the paling.
housenounUS /haʊs/
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Good-night, Ariel,” I called out to her over the paling.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
lampsnounUS /læmps/
plural of “lamp” — an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading The footman had thoughtfully lighted the carriage lamps.
lednounUS /led/
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
lightedadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪtəd/
set afire or burning
From this reading The footman had thoughtfully lighted the carriage lamps.
lockedverbUS /lɑːkt/
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/
a particular point in time
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Good-night, Ariel,” I called out to her over the paling.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “Good-night, Ariel,” I called out to her over the paling.
palingnoun
a fence made of upright pickets
From this reading “Good-night, Ariel,” I called out to her over the paling.
returningadjectiveUS /rɪˈtɜːrnɪŋ/
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
seeverbUS /siː/
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
shadowyadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊi/
filled with shade
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
speakingnounUS /ˈspiːkɪŋ/
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
thoughtfullyadverbUS /ˈθɔːtfəli/
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading The footman had thoughtfully lighted the carriage lamps.
thumpverbUS /θʌmp/
move rhythmically
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
trampnounUS /træmp/
a vagrant
From this reading Nothing answered me but the tramp of her heavy footsteps returning to the house, and the dull thump, a moment afterward, of the closing door.
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
visitorsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪtərz/
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
walknounUS /wɔːk/
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ARIEL was downstairs in the shadowy hall, half asleep, half awake, waiting to see the visitors clear of the house.
waynounUS /weɪ/
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
WithoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without speaking to us, without looking at us, she led the way down the dark garden walk, and locked the gate behind us.
